


White Wolf

by Casey_Wolfe



Category: The Chronicles of Riddick Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Rare Pairings, Shapeshifter!Johns, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-25 12:31:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4960732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey_Wolfe/pseuds/Casey_Wolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riddick saves a wolf from hunters, never realizing it was the start of something special.</p>
            </blockquote>





	White Wolf

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dahlinjawn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dahlinjawn/gifts).



> This is all darlinjohn’s fault.  He put this idea in my head and we talked about it and well…

Riddick preferred to be alone, away from people and society.  Cities had rules.  Cities had pollution and disease.  There was filth, poverty, and people out looking to make a name for themselves whether as criminals or mercs- not that those two groups were very different from each other at the end of the day.

No, Riddick would much rather live in solitude.  The wilderness on backwater planets were a haven, if however temporary, from the mercs that hunted him.  He had no home to speak of, so instead he made his place wherever he wanted.

He hadn’t seen anyone on this particular planet since he landed there about a week previous, however the silence had been broken by a trio of hunters.  If it was one thing Riddick _did_ like it was animals.  He would never argue with hunting for food but these were men who enjoyed killing for the mere act of it.

Their current target was a majestic white wolf, long fur and a lean muscled form, larger in stature than some varieties he’d seen.  The bullet ripped through the front of the wolf’s shoulder, his yelp of pain echoing through the woods.  The hunters only laughed and Riddick narrowed his shined eyes.

They weren’t laughing when the convict dropped down on them, grabbing the barrel of the shooter’s rifle and jerking it back to smack him right in the face.  As he laid on the ground cursing, holding his broken nose, Riddick stared down the other two. “Take yer friend and leave,” he ordered.  “I don’t wanna see you poachin’ again.”

He made to leave but decided a stronger message was in order.  In a flash, he pulled one of the hunter’s sidearms, nailing the two uninjured men in the shoulders.  “Only fair,” Riddick mused.  “Now get the fuck outta here before I change my mind.”

It was amazing how fast the injured hunters moved at the threat.  Riddick huffed, tossing the handgun aside in disgust.  He could have used it of course, except he preferred stealth and his blades.

He turned to find the wolf hadn’t gotten far.  He was hoping on three legs, injured paw in the air, blood already having blossomed in a stain over his shoulder.  When Riddick started to approach he stopped, ears going down, teeth bared.  The creature was both angered and scared, and Riddick couldn’t begrudge him either emotion.

“Easy,” Riddick soothed, crouching and showing his hands at his side.  “Easy there boy, I’m not gonna hurt you.”  The growling stopped but it was clear to Riddick he’d have to do better than that.  “There you go,” Riddick continued to gentle, inching forward a bit.  “Those jackasses are gone.  Promise.”

Riddick held out his hand, fingers moving a little bit.  “Come on,” he urged.  “Not gonna hurt ya.”  The wolf’s hackles lowered, lips falling back over his teeth as he pondered Riddick’s words.  This was no dumb animal for certain.  Riddick knew that he may not have known what Riddick was saying but he could certainly understand the tone.  “There you are.  That’s a good boy.”

The wolf stretched his neck out to sniff at the air, trying to get Riddick’s scent.  “That’s it,” Riddick encouraged.  “How ‘bout you come back to my camp with me, huh?  Let me fix you up.”  Tilting his head, the wolf gazed at him with intelligent blue eyes.

Slowly Riddick stood, gesturing for the wolf to follow.  “Come on.  It’s not far.  I’d carry you but I doubt you’d approve.”  The wolf snorted as though he understood perfectly and Riddick smirked.  He walked away a few steps, looking over his shoulder to find the wolf hadn’t moved.  “Coming?”

When he started moving again, he couldn’t help but grin as he heard the awkward hopping of the wolf following after him.

As promised the camp was close by.  It wasn’t anything more than a fire pit- sans fire as he’d doused it before pursuing the hunters- and a simple shelter set up next to a small pond.  “Home sweet home,” Riddick mused, settling down on the grass.

The wolf looked around the clearing, taking it all in.  Riddick wondered if the wolf was familiar with the pond.  Although since he was in the area, Riddick assumed he knew the water source.  It was an excellent place to start tracking prey from naturally.

He coaxed the wolf closer until he was sitting just out of arm’s reach.  “Now how’m I s’pposed to fix you if ya sit all the way over there?”  Riddick reached out, offering his hand to the wolf once more.  The creature took it in his mouth, not biting, just holding.  “I’ll be gentle,” Riddick promised.  After a long moment, the wolf seemed to nod, releasing Riddick’s hand.

With careful precision that came with being banged up more times than he’d care to admit with no one but himself as aid, Riddick worked to clean up the wolf’s wound.  He was lucky that the bullet had passed clean through and had only gone into the muscular front of the leg rather than bone or something even more vital.  Still it would take a while to heal up enough for the wolf to use it properly again.

“There,” he said, finishing off the bandage.  He hadn’t tied it very tight in case the wolf decided to take off, that way he would be able to work it off himself should that happen.  Mainly it was there just to keep dirt out so it wouldn’t become infected.  Riddick would have stitched the creature up if he thought the wolf would actually stand for it.

“Well,” he continued conversationally, “I suggest you rest up here for a bit.  There’s fresh water and I’ve got some meat here you can have.  Best to take it easy awhile.”  Riddick offered the wolf a piece of game that he’d smoked just the day before.  The wolf took it eagerly, ripping into it.  Riddick wondered if perhaps his cooking had attracted the wolf to the area in the first place.

It didn’t matter now though so Riddick let it go in favor of watching the elegant creature.  “You’re gorgeous you know,” he mentioned, poking at the remains of the wood in the fire pit.  The wolf jerked his head up in surprise, looking at Riddick with wide-eyes which caused the convict to laugh.  “What?  Nobody ever tell ya that before?”

Soul-piercing blue eyes met his and Riddick couldn’t help but lay a hand on the wolf’s head, giving his ears a ruffle.

* * *

It took a couple of weeks but the wolf was back on his feet, running and hunting alongside Riddick.  Honestly, Riddick had been surprised when the wolf hadn’t left at first, but then they seemed to fall into an easy rapport.  It was the same way with hunting, each working together as though they had for years instead of days.  Riddick figured his animal nature helped a lot.  That, and the uncanny intelligence his wolf seemed to possess.

Still, Riddick couldn’t help but wonder if and when the wolf would decide to move on.  Surely the creature had a pack out there somewhere.  Then again, shouldn’t they have come looking for him by then if that was true?

Whatever the case, it had become habit for the pair to curl up together at night, and Riddick was always pleased to find the wolf still there when he woke.

The night before had been like any other.  The wolf was curled near the fire, tail over his nose, when Riddick decided to call it a night.  He stretched out on the makeshift bedding and only had to wait a few moments before the wolf was right there beside him, licking his chin.  Riddick smiled, murmuring “Goodnight Beautiful” as he wrapped around the wolf, nuzzling into the fur of his ruff.

Except that morning when he’d woke, rather than the white wolf in his arms, it was a man.  The blonde was all lean muscle and sinew, strength wrapped in a frame smaller than his own.  When said man stirred, looking up at him sleepily, Riddick stared into the same brilliant blue eyes he’d come to know.

Riddick could only smile as he said, “Hey.”

“Hey,” the blonde answered with a smile of his own, voice a little scratchy from misuse.

“Name’s Riddick.”

“Johns.”

Riddick quirked his lips, pressing a kiss to the man’s forehead. “Go back to sleep Johns. We’ll hunt later.”

“Sounds good to me,” Johns replied. He rolled over in Riddick’s embrace, snuggling closer as his face turned into Riddick’s neck. It was quiet a moment before the wolf spoke up. “Riddick?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks.”

Riddick only hugged him closer. There was plenty to ask but it could wait. One thing was for certain, Riddick realized his life had just changed dramatically. Surprisingly, he was completely fine with that.

/End

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://thedenofcaseywolfe.tumblr.com/).


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